Movies, at their very core, are made to entertain audiences, to create characters, stories, and settings that, until the credits begin rolling, we are convinced actually exist. Many of us like to use movies as an escape. The goal of a great movie is to have audiences forget where they are for a few hours, to be transported to places we can only dream about, and meet people and characters who exist only in our wildest imaginations. Some movies, and sometimes movie franchises, take this idea further, developing entirely new and unique cities to take us to.

Creating a fictional city in a movie takes a lot of work. From naming it and developing its look to how the environment would enhance the story, there is a lot at stake. With all that and the support of a gripping plot and characters for us to cling to, there have been many fictional cities that have graced the movie screens that have us convinced they’re real. Now, strap in because we are about to embark on a little trip through our ranking of some of the best fictional cities in film.

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9 Radiator Springs — Cars

     Walt Disney Pictures

When you wish upon a star, Disney and Pixar are usually there to make those wishes come true. The Cars franchise began when the first movie premiered in 2006. In this movie, we not only meet Lightning McQueen and trusty Mater, but we are introduced to the desert city of Radiator Springs. This small town becomes the place where Lightning McQueen comes to find himself again. However, even though many of the cities on this list are completely fictional, you can actually visit Radiator Springs yourself as an attraction at the California Adventure Park in Southern California!

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8 Zion — The Matrix

     Warner Bros. 

The Matrix is one of the most notable films and film franchises in history. Starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne, The Matrix takes us completely out of our own reality while also making us question it. Zion, the fictional city in the film, completely tailors to the science-fiction and futuristic dystopia that the film calls for. Who could forget the atmosphere of it all and the incredible walkways? If you need an escape, The Matrix is sure to take you there!

7 Metropolis — Metropolis

     UFA

Now for a small change of pace, let’s highlight a movie that, in these times, may not seem so outstanding or unique. However, for 1927, this one was definitely ahead of its time. Metropolis is an old German expressionist science-fiction film that showcases a futuristic city, equipped with skyscrapers, highways, and aircraft. However, the commentary behind this classic lies beneath the utopia, which holds an underworld full of abused workers.

6 Amity Island — Jaws

     Zanuck/Brown Company

Even though the story of Jaws had us avoiding deep waters at all costs, let’s not forget the iconic Amity Island in this absolute horror classic. The Steven Spielberg movie came out in 1975 and its impact on the film industry is undeniable, even if the following films in the franchise were pretty unfavorable. With the perfect balance of absolute dread and a lively, sunny backdrop that was Amity Island, Jaws created an atmosphere that jumped right out of our screens and into something that we all feared in our reality: dipping a single toe into the water.

5 Christmas Town — The Nightmare Before Christmas

     Touchstone Pictures

Oh, the age-old debate: Is the stop-motion animation film The Nightmare Before Christmas a movie for the spooky season or the holiday season? We may never know, but it’s safe to say that The Nightmare Before Christmas made Christmas quite memorable. In this film, we follow Jack Skellington in his discovery of the incredible Christmas Town. Christmas Town is the home of Santa and all his elves, and a town completely dedicated to the holiday season, dressed up in lights, decorated trees, and the chill of winter snow.

4 The Emerald City — The Wizard of Oz

     Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

We are all familiar with The Wizard of Oz. Ruby slippers? Munchkins? Yellow brick road? This classic from 1939 starred Judy Garland as the bubbly Dorothy in her journey through Oz. The grand Emerald City is the capital city in the Land of Oz. In a movie as huge and recognizable as The Wizard of Oz, of course we had to include this one and its iconic green sparkles on our list.

3 Hogsmeade — Harry Potter

     Warner Bros Pictures

The Harry Potter Franchise is massive. From the eight core movies to the Fantastic Beast spinoff series, Harry Potter has created worlds that will stick out in the minds of future and past generations. Hogsmeade is a small town in the Wizarding World that is home to some of the best stores to meet all of your magical needs. If you want to take a trip to Hogsmeade and visit Honeydukes or Olivander’s Wand Shop, you can get a taste of some real magic in the Hogsmeade attraction in the Universal Studios theme parks.

2 The Capitol (Panem) — The Hunger Games

     Lionsgate

This one is less likable in the context of the movie, but it is quite stunning aesthetically. The Capitol in The Hunger Games franchise is home to some of the most intricate (and fairly accurate, although exaggerated) representations of society’s elites to ever be portrayed in film. Throughout all the Hunger Games movies, The Capitol (and its people) always acted as its own entity that needed to be defeated. If you want the full effect of the absolute chaos surrounding this fictional city, definitely check the movies out if you haven’t already.

1 Gotham City — The Dark Knight Trilogy

     Warner Bros. Pictures

When you think of fictional cities in movies, it is impossible to not include Gotham in your train of thought. Superhero movies in general are always going to be fan favorites, but there is something about building the story of a hero in a completely fictional city. Think about Gotham City. Just the name alone is so easily recognizable yet completely believable at the same time. Whether you are a fan of Batman in the comic books, shows, The Dark Knight Trilogy, or even Joker, you cannot deny that Gotham City’s place in iconic fictional cities in movies is top tier.